34% of gay and bisexual males, and 29% of lesbian and bisexual females, reported binge drinking at least once or twice a week

Binge drinking is more than twice as common amongst lesbian, gay and bisexual people when compared with the wider population

Lesbian, gay and bisexual people demonstrate a higher likelihood of being substance dependent

Significant barriers exist to seeking information, advice or help about substance use issues amongst lesbian, gay or bisexual people

In highlighting the high prevalence of binge drinking the report uses the definition of drinking more than twice the recommended guidelines in one session, though the term has often been contested.

The Part of the Picture (POTP) research project is a five-year partnership between The Lesbian & Gay Foundation (LGF) and the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). It aims to establish a national database of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people’s drug and alcohol use; to use the database to inform local and national policy and practice in addressing the drug and alcohol use of LGB people; and to improve knowledge and understanding of the needs of LGB people amongst drug and alcohol agencies through dissemination of the research findings.